Maya Shenfeld Works on a Cosmic Scale with ‘Under the Sun’
Under the Sun has a gravity that helps it stand out in the vast field of contemporary electronic music as Maya Shenfeld considers the magnitude of the cosmos.
experimental
Mark Trecka Crafts Inventive Gloom on ‘The Bloom of Performance’
Paris-based experimentalist Mark Trecka incorporates a slightly more traditional song structure on his excellent new album, The Bloom of Performance.
Avi C. Engel Evokes Ancient to Modern Sounds on ‘Too Many Souls’
Too Many Souls is the latest installment in Canadian alternative folk artist Avi C. Engel’s pursuit of “one long continuous song”.
Armbruster Finds Beauty in Noise on the Adventurous ‘Can I Sit Here’
New York-based violinist and composer Armbruster explores drone, distortion, and melody on his excellent new album Can I Sit Here.
Ninja Episkopat Shows What Else New Fusion Can Be
On their debut album, Polish trio Ninja Episkopat surprise with references to industrial rock, hip-hop, and ambient within their free improvisation.
Throbbing Gristle: Nothing Short of Total War
Throbbing Gristle’s dedication to nothing short of total war was not so much a declaration of war but a warning that endless war could become a state of being.
Joseph Branciforte and Theo Bleckmann Create a Stunning Experimental Soundscape
The sophomore collaboration from experimental musicians Joseph Branciforte and Theo Bleckmann comes four years after their debut, and builds on it.
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The 20 Best Experimental Albums of 2023
The best experimental albums of the year highlight the breadth of human expression and take listeners to heretofore unknown realms in music, pushing boundaries.
Samuel Goff’s ‘Diminished Borders’ Is a Manic, Introspective Free Jazz Trip
Drums and dual saxophones create an atmosphere that invites frenetic pacing and meditative peace on Samuel Goff, Camila Nebbia, and Patrick Shiroishi’s Diminished Borders.
Yuko Araki’s ‘IV’: Torn Between Voice and Noise
Experimentalist Yuko Araki highlights her vision’s first new element: the human voice, which was either absent or lost beneath the layers of havoc in the past.
Grails’ ‘Anches en Maat’ Takes a Cinematic Turn
Grails’ new LP is like listening to the soundtrack for an existential cosmic Western, Andrei Tarkovsky taking a stab at some Werner Herzog Mesoamerican mythologizing.
Mukqs Shatters Electronic Music Conventions on ‘Stonewasher’
Chicago-based weirdo pioneer Mukqs returns with one of the best electronic albums of 2023. Enter the dizzyingly immersive world of Stonewasher.